By Peter Douglas
MYSTERY still surrounds the “bizarre” disappearance of a Silvan couple who were believed to have fled their family home last Monday, 29 August.
Despite police locating Mark Tromp, 51, in Wangaratta on Saturday afternoon, 3 September, and with his wife Jacoba still remaining in medical care, there remains unanswered questions over why the couple left their home with their three adult children.
After an extensive search, berry farmer Mark was located walking alone near the Wangaratta Airport about 5.50pm on the Saturday, before he was escorted to Wangaratta police station, where he was interviewed and later released.
He is now in the care of family members.
Two of the couple’s three children, Mitchell, 25, and Ella, 22, have fronted media over the disappearance, but have said only that the five-day ordeal is “hard to explain”.
Though they have expressed relief over having located their parents, particularly their father, who was still outstanding after Jacoba presented herself to Yass Hospital earlier in the week.
Elder sister Riana, 29, is still receiving medical care.
Earlier, it was reported Riana had been found in the back seat of a stranger’s car, before she was taken to Goulburn Police Station.
Before locating Mark, early reports suggested the couple and their adult children had been enjoying a holiday in the Central Tablelands area of NSW, though it appears the family had fled their Silvan home due to what has been described as stressful circumstances.
At a media conference in Monbulk on Thursday, 8 September, Mitchell and Ella appeared with Monbulk Sergeant Mark Knight, who was assisting with the search.
Mitchell and Ella said the family had taken off on Monday.
They then split up from their parents some time after visiting the Jenolan Caves area, with the children deciding to return home.
Mitchell said his parents’ decision to leave the home was out of character.
“(It was) just a build-up of events, just pressure that slowly got worse as the days went by … (I’ve) never seen anything like it … pretty hard to explain … they decided to leave,” he said.
Ella added: “We were a bit stressed at the time”.
Both children pleaded for their dad to present himself to police.
“We love you and we just want you to come home,” Mitchell said.
Ella described the family as close and said they worked closely together.
Meanwhile, on inspecting their home on Tuesday night, Sgt Knight described it as one of the more “bizarre” scenes with which he has been confronted.
“The house open, there was … paperwork all about the house,” he said.
“Keys were in cars, passports were there and phones were on the bench – it was an unusual scene.”
The family’s Peugeot station wagon had been spotted in Wangaratta on Wednesday afternoon, with a man later witnessed jumping out of the car and fleeing into Merriwa Park.
Sgt Knight confirmed they believed the man was Mark.
